The home opener for the Fordham University football team this weekend was nothing short of exciting. With touchdown after touchdown, Ram fans cheered in the stands with hope and anticipation, but were ultimately let down with a final score of 49-28 in favor of the Monmouth University Hawks.
The Rams squad started off strong with quarterback Gunnar Smith scoring the first touchdown on a four yard run about five minutes into the first quarter. Throwing for 382 yards in the game and completing 27 of 49 passes, Smith remains a standout player for the Rams thus far this season.
In addition, it was a big game for Fordham wide receiver Jabril Carter, who scored his first collegiate touchdown of his career.
The teams were evenly matched in the first half as the Rams traded touchdowns with Monmouth. The fight was there for the Rams this weekend — something that had been lacking against the Boston College Eagles during their week one matchup.
The Rams scored quickly to begin the second half on a 70-yard TD pass from Smith to senior receiver Jack Betten. After that, quarterback for Monmouth Derek Robertson took control and created a gap that the Rams would be unable to close out.
Despite the loss, there were several silver linings for the Rams. Fordham racked up an impressive 492 total offensive yards compared to Monmouth’s 518, showing that they were able to keep pace with the Hawks for a good deal of the Saturday showdown.
On the defensive side for the Rams, linebacker James Conway led the way with 11 tackles, continuing to be a steady force on that end of the field. Though the scoreboard didn’t reflect it, the Rams showed growth in execution and energy from the opening game.
When looking ahead towards the rest of the season, Fordham Head Coach Joe Conlin emphasized the importance of building on this momentum and tightening up on defense. The home opener may not have ended in celebration, but it revealed a team ready to compete, and with a few adjustments, Fordham Football could potentially make some noise this year and surprise folks.
